Parents of pupils at Tamariskia Primary School at Swakopmund have been asked to provide not only stationery, but also cleaning products as part of the school’s requirements for the 2026 academic year.
The stationery list, seen by The Namibian, includes standard classroom items such as pencils, exercise books, files, rulers, glue and colouring pencils.
It also requires parents to supply bulk, non-academic items, including three reams of copy paper, pine gel, Handy Andy, Domestos, floor polish and insecticides such as Doom.
In a notice accompanying the list, the school calls on parents, pupils and teachers to work together to support the effective delivery of education.
Although primary education in Namibia is officially free, parents remain responsible for costs related to uniforms, stationery and other school-related necessities.
Concerns over the inclusion of cleaning materials on stationery lists have been raised before, with some parents arguing that such requirements place an additional financial burden on households and amount to indirect school fees.
In previous engagements, the Ministry of Education, Innovation , Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture attributed the practice to budget constraints faced by schools, particularly in meeting operational expenses such as sanitation and printing.
The ministry has, however, maintained that no pupil should be denied access to education for failing to provide stationery or cleaning supplies.
